Mary R Brennan, RN, MBA, CWON

Inquisitive nurses have questioned the status quo and challenged the current standards available at the time. They believed there was an improvement that could be made, and so these nurses began the process of validating their concerns or questions. Was this easy? Probably not, but their conviction to seek out a better method drove them to look, investigate, and validate their work. I would like to share a few stories of nurses who have changed our practice and hopefully inspire you to ask the question: Why are we doing this?

Thanoon Thabet, BSN, RN, WTA-C

Chronic wound pain is a complicated condition with both physical and psychological aspects. The magnitude of pain is usually contingent on the depth of the wound and whether an infection is present. Nevertheless, providing adequate pain relief can be challenging due to wound management’s multi-faceted nature. It is essential to understand the physiology of pain, the types, its impact on healing, assessment techniques, and various wound care approaches to develop a comprehensive care plan for patients with wounds.

Vascular ulcers are wounds on the skin that form as the result of abnormal blood circulation in the body, including arterial and venous etiologies. Estimates suggest 3-5% of those over 65 in the United States have a vascular ulcer. Of those with peripheral arterial disease, approximately 20-70% have chronic wounds, according to data up to 2018. Since arterial ulcers may be underdiagnosed, certain experts theorize that the number of chronic wounds developed due to arterial insufficiency is higher in reality.

Surgical wounds originate when a surgeon cuts into tissue with a surgical tool, such as a scalpel. The size and placement of a surgical wound will depend entirely on the procedure performed due to varying incision requirements.

Regardless, most surgical interventions aim for wound closure with primary repair. Tissue edges are typically brought together and held in place by various modalities, such as sutures or staples. However, this result isn’t always the case, as some wounds may be left open to heal secondarily or may fail to heal primarily. This piece will discuss the surgical wound timeline, various complications of a surgical wound, signs/symptoms of infection, along with the recovery process for patients.